Turfing-machine.



No. 780,970. PATBN-TED JAN. 31, 1905.

J. A.-BLEDSOE. TURFING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 20, 1904.

hnmnfoz 23 (hiil/QeSA 231% Witnaoow 70' ZW I Wo /w M Gtkovnm UNITED STATES Patented January 31, 1905.

, PATENT OFFICE.

TURFING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 780,970, dated. January 31, 1905.

Application filed April 20, 1904. Serial No. 204,108.

To all whom, it incl/y concern.-

Be it known that I, J AMES A. BLEDsoE,a citizen of the United States, residing at Atlanta,

in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Turfing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

' This invention relates to improvements in turfing-machines; and it consists of a rod having a stitch-forming device adapted to be reciprocated in a handpiece which carries a needle.

The invention contemplates specific detail improvements in the structure disclosed in the patent to M. W. Pintner, No. 730,152.

The object of the improvement is to provide a yielding connection between the rod and the handle to return the former to its normal position after a loop has been formed.

A further object of the invention is to provide the needle with a fixed stop to positively retard backward movement when being inserted in the fabric.

A further object of the invention is to provide special means for locating the knob on the end of the rod, so that its location may be conveniently and quickly located when the loop is to be altered.

In practical operation 1 have found that when operating a turfing-machine of the character described in the patent considerable time and inconvenience were occasioned by having to manually return the operating-rod after the formation of aloop. I have therefore overcome this objection by providing the spring to automatically return said handle,

which has been found to be a most desirable and effective addition to the machine to increase its capacity and conveniences in operation. Considerable trouble has also been ex perienced by the movement of the needle when inserting it in the fabric. A device was'nsed for fixing the needle, it is true; but by providing a fixed stop on the needle, which bears against a relatively fixed part of the machine, obviously when pushing the needle through the fabric its position will not be disturbed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figurel is a side elevation of a turfing-machine with parts broken away to more fully illustrate my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of the needle. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the knob.

The same numerals refer to like parts in all the figures.

The numeral 1 designates an operating-rod of angular form in cross-section to prevent it from having a rotary movement and surrounded by a guide-tube 2, over which is secured a hand-grip 3. The rod 1 is considerably longer than the hand-grip, and adjustably mounted on one end is a knob 1, with an angular opening 5, in which is fitted a bushing 6. The bushing 6 is projected from the front end of the knob 1 and has a vertically-alined opening 7 to coincide with one of a series of inden' tations 8 in the rod 1, the knob 4 being held in immovable relation to the rod by a pinscrew 9, having a pointed end 10, which enters one of the indentations 8. The free end of the bushing has fixed to it a collar 11, which forms a stop for a spring 12. The spring is mounted in a depression 13, formed in the end of the handle 3, and its normal tendency is to force the knob away from the said handle. The front extremity of the rod is formed with an upwardly-inclined face 14:, and it terminates in a curved foot 15. The inclined face 14 terminates at the rear adjacent to a series of slots 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20. The slots correspond in number to the indentations 8, and any one of the same is adaptedto be engaged by the rear angular terminal 21 of a longitudinally-convex stitch catcher or looper 22, which is loosely held between the slotted part of the face 1 1 of the rod and the forward extremity of the tube 2, the catcher or looper also operating between the said extremity of the tube and a needle held in the latter. A sleeve 24:

is attached to the front extremity of the handfrom the needle is a lug 23, which abuts against the end of the tube-2 when the parts are assembled. The function of the lug is to prevent the needle becoming displaced when operating the machine, as will be readily understood. Longitudinal adjustment of the catcher or looper 22 may be obtained at any time by removing the knob 4 and pushing the rod forward until the catcher or looper is forced out of the tube 2 and by disengaging the rear angular terminal 21 fromone of the slots in the forward extremity of the rod 1 and placing it in another slot will cause a variation of the loops formed in the turfing operating when a corresponding adjustment of the knob is made on the rod 1.

The stitch catcher 0r looper 22 is resilient and has a concave seat 22 at its front extremity, and to control the lateral adjustment or movement of the said stitch catcher or looper to regulate the spaced distance of the loops formed an adjusting-screw 26 is movably mounted in the front reduced extremity of the rod 1, close to the foot 15. It will be seen that a projection or retraction of the said screw 26 relatively to the catcher or looper 22 will correspondingly decrease and increase the movement of the said catcher or looper relatively to the needle 23.

In operating the machine, the knob being -normally pushed away from the handle by the spring 12, the foot of the rod and the catcher or looper being back of the front end of the sleeve, the needle is put through the cloth or fabric until the front end of the sleeve bears against the latter. Then the rod is pushed forward until its foot comes in contact with the cloth, and the needle is drawn out and moved over to the cloth and again putthrough the latter at another point. \Vhen pressure on the knob is released and it is returned to its normal position bythe spring, the stitch catcher or looper holds the successivelyformed loops during such operations of the needle. In the several steps of forming the loops the catcher or looper 22 holds the individual loops while the needle is making a successive loop, and thereby the several loops will be produced in equal length in accordance with the adjustment of the said catcher or looper and the knob l.

hat I claim as new is In a turling implement, the combination witharod witha series of indentations formed therein, an adjustable flanged knob on the rod, a pointed screw carried by the knob adapted to engage one of the indentations, a sleeve surrounding the rod, a handle formed with a seat, a spring encircling the rod and positioned in the seat of the handle, said spring bearing against the bottom of the seat and the flanged knob, a needle, a lug on the needle, said lug bearing against the end of the sleeve, and a loop-catcher adjustably secured to the rod substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresenceof two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES A. BLEDSOE.

Witnesses:

J. O. Moomc, F. L. Bimns. 

